


Christmas Eve Day

by VirginiasWolf



Series: Life Moves On [17]
Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 16:37:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20951546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirginiasWolf/pseuds/VirginiasWolf
Summary: Richard and Camille plan to spend their second day on Saint Marie shopping together, but all does not go as planned.Part of the Life Moves On series taking place between A Saint Marie Welcome Home and If Questions Were Oranges





	Christmas Eve Day

The pile of neatly wrapped presents lies on the motel room floor. Back in England, Richard and Camille had tried to find something for each of the current Saint Marie police force members including JP, whom neither of them had met before. Richard isn't entirely sure he'd call this operation a success as he swears the gift they've chosen for Humphrey, in particular, feels a bit hideous and underhanded, but Camille had sworn that the other man wouldn't even notice that the bobblehead was tacky. They also took time to buy a more expensive, custom made, gift for Catherine. However, two gifts that aren't in the pile are those for each other. This isn't because they didn't get each other things, but because they had performed their own gift exchange back in London. Still, even Richard is aware that it might look weird if they don't give each other things.

  
"We uhh, we don't have gifts for each other, do we?"

  
Camille does a funny tilt of her head as she looks at him almost concerned as if she thinks he's fully forgotten the custom leather wallet she got him and the pearl necklace which he'd gotten her. Which would be a remarkable feat considering how after they'd left his parents she'd spent most of the night vigorously thanking him while wearing only said necklace."We exchanged them back in London, remember?"

  
"Yes, of course, but I just realized it might give our friends the wrong idea if we don't have things for each other. They don't even have to be expensive or sentimental items. I suppose we could give each other a price limit and the name of an item we were planning to get here on the island, couldn't we?"

  
"Alright, I'll humor your idea. I was planning to get a brightly colored floral print dress that I could wear during the summer in London. Well?"

  
She's looking at him expectantly and now he realizes he's supposed to tell her his item. Except his item seems so weird compared to hers. "I was going to look for a copy of that book I'd been reading when we solved the Polly Carter case."

  
Camille breaks into a wide grin and he suddenly becomes convinced that she does think his choice is ridiculous.

  
"You can just get me a tie if you're not comfortable with that though," he mutters breaking eye contact with her.

  
"Actually, I find it to be quite wonderful that reading makes you so genuinely happy. Plus, you look so cute with your nose buried in a book."

  
At the second comment, Richard can't help but blush. Yet beneath the awkwardness, he's also grateful. His love for books is one of the many traits that other men had repeatedly insisted would keep him from having any sort of meaningful romantic relationship with a woman, and yet he is now married to the most attractive woman he's ever seen and she actually likes him having his "weird" hobbies even if they are different from hers. "I really am lucky to have you," he can't help but say.

  
"Because I'm going to buy you that book?" Camille teases.

  
"No, I'm just lucky," he mumbles feeling suddenly shy.

  
"Richard, we're both lucky to have each other." He isn't entirely sure why someone like her would feel lucky to have someone like him, but maybe some things in life aren't meant to be analyzed and understood.

  
After a few minutes, Camille states "Maybe we should shop together."

  
For a second, Richard's stomach clenches. Does she not trust him enough to pick out the correct dress for her?

  
However, Camille doesn't seem to notice his brief flickering of worry and simply continues speaking. "I don't think we're going to get very many chances to be alone together while we're here, so we should take advantage of every chance we do get."

  
It takes a little time to get ready, but soon they are walking through the Honore market. It's strange. While on the island as inspector he visited this market several times, sometimes even with her, but today feels different. He had almost expected her to not want to hold his hand. Saint Marie is more her domain than his, and it would be wholly understandable in his mind if she didn't want to do anything to point out that they were together. Yet she'd immediately intertwined her fingers with his as if she considered it to be the most natural gesture in the world. He quickly realizes that it is natural, and what is perhaps unnatural is that it has taken him this long to enjoy even this simplest of pleasures.

  
He's even more surprised to learn that the people in the market remember him as much as they do Camille, and they seem genuinely pleased to learn that they are now together. He isn't sure how much time they spend talking with various people in the market, but he realizes he doesn't actually mind. They have hours before they need to meet with their friends at La Kaz and he really does love spending this time with his wife.

  
The first place where they actually buy something is a trinket shop. Richard had promised their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Huang, that he would bring her back some form of small souvenir. In the past few months, he's sort of reverse adopted the elderly immigrant woman, and he feels as if bringing her back an island gift is a simple enough gesture. With Camille's help, he picks out a small music box that is decorated with some sort of tropical flower design on the lid.

  
Camille barely gives him time to pay and take his bag before immediately taking his hand again, and although this clinginess may have annoyed him in the past, now it makes him smile. It also makes the cashier comment something in French that he barely understands, but takes to be a compliment on young love.

  
Outside the shop, he decides that he'll be happy to let Camille lead the way. "So where to next? You're in charge."

  
"You're teasing me." She looks indignant for a moment and almost as if she's about to let go of his hand which is the last thing he wants.

  
"No, I...I want to see the market from your point of view. I know I've been here before, that we've been here before, but not like this. You said earlier that we should take advantage of every moment we get to spend together here, and I want to learn about why you love this place."

  
Luckily this is enough to keep Camille from letting go of his hand. Instead, she allows her brow to scrunch up adorably as she takes an almost pensive look around the market place. "Then I think we've earned a break."

  
"We've only bought one item," he starts to protest until she turns and puts a silencing finger over his lips.

  
"Hush. I thought you said I was in charge, and anyway, someone with your sweet tooth would hardly want to say no to ice cream."

  
She's right on that topic. He's tried so hard to pretend that he doesn't have a terrible sweet tooth, and even attempted to hide his stash back in their flat, but he knows that she is well aware that his weaknesses include sweet foods, books, and her. Without a further fuss, he allows her to lead him into a nearby ice cream shop where she instructs him to sit down as she goes over to the counter and orders for them both.

  
Except the moment she reaches the counter his stomach clenches. The man behind the counter is clearly younger than him, and also tall, muscular and extremely handsome and he seems to be quite friendly with Camille. Much to Richard's frustration, she is returning the friendliness. By the time she returns to the table with two cones, he is sulking.

  
"What's wrong?"

  
"Oh nothing, just" Richard takes a moment to try to read the younger man's name tag from across the shop and surprisingly is successful, "Daniel."

  
"You think I bought my husband into here so I could flirt with my ex-boyfriend? Well, even if I'd had that intention, it hardly would have been successful. I'd wager that you're more of his type than I am."

  
Richard's immediate reaction is to blink. "I'm his type?"

  
"Well, not you specifically, if his husband is any indication he seems to be more into Afro-Caribbean guys, but the point is that when we were younger I dated him so he could pretend to be straight for his mother. He saw my wedding band and started telling me about how he finally went to Miami and married his boyfriend. Then he asked me about my husband and when I pointed you out he recognized you and started teasing me for marrying my detective inspector." As soon as she finishes speaking, Camille leans across the table to lightly touch Richard's face. "You know I'd never do something to hurt you like that."

  
Of course, he'd only been feeling paranoid. He may not have the faintest idea in regards to what Camille sees in him, but she's told him so many times that she'd never hurt him and he really does need to trust her on that. When he finally comes out of his thoughts on this he realizes that she is looking at him funny though. "What?"

  
"I think you might want to try actually eating your ice cream instead of staring at it."

  
"Ahh, well I...you're right."

  
For a few minutes they each eat their cones in silence, but the moment Richard finishes his, Camille does something unexpected. Before he has time to think she leans across the table and kisses him firmly on the lips before taking advantage of his surprise to slip her tongue into his mouth. Then, before he can even think to react it is all over and she is back on her side of the table smiling at him as he becomes distinctly aware that a nearby elderly tourist looks disgusted enough to potentially hit them both with her heavy-looking shopping bags.

  
Unsure of how to feel about what just happened, Richard softly touches his own mouth before asking "Camille, what was that?"

  
"I wanted to taste your ice cream."

  
"By sticking your tongue in my mouth in public?" he clarifies, unsure if he's correctly heard what has to be the most genuinely French bit of logic he can think of. He had actually liked what had happened, but the problem is that those kinds of kisses usually come directly before a very different activity that feels far less appropriate for a busy ice cream shop. He can't imagine exactly how annoyed the woman with the bag would become if they started doing THAT in public, but at least the mental imagery of an old woman beating him with shopping bags while he tries to have sex with his wife quells any stirrings that may have started to rise in him.

  
Camille looks at him for a moment longer, still smiling far wider than she has any right to in these circumstances, before stating "I think it is time we returned to our shopping."

  
"Yep," as he rises from the table he allows her to take his hand again, noting that even this rather innocent display of affection seems to annoy their new tourist friend.

  
Soon they are back outside in the clean, fresh island air and Camille looks around at the street again before her eyes alight on two figures, JP and Humphrey. Despite the single meeting so far, Richard has decided he likes JP. The kid seems smart and ambitious and quite similar to Fidel. Humphrey is someone he is less certain about wanting to see. The current inspector isn't a bad man by any stretch, but he's just so different from Richard, and he seems to make being clumsy and not self-aware into an art form. Luckily neither have noticed Richard and Camille yet, and Richard would initially be happy to keep it that way until they both hear a snippet of the two men's conversation. Humphrey is helping JP pick out a Christmas present for his girlfriend.

  
"Remember how ugly that tie he sent you was?" Camille whispers, looking almost pleadingly at Richard. "We have to stop him from ruining JP's relationship."

  
"It would hardly be proper for either of us to outright tell him that his fashion sense is terrible." Richard hisses back, "I may be unsure if I actually like the man, but I'm not going to be needlessly cruel to him."

  
"That's why we're going to pretend we actually want them to shop with us." So much for getting to spend the day alone with his wife, but there really is something he can't help but love about how concerned she is about helping young JP with his relationship and she does add an offer that he finds hard to refuse. "I'll make it up to you tonight at the motel."

  
So without thinking about how much he may regret having to spend his Christmas Eve day shopping trip with Humphrey Goodman, Richard turns and yells across the thoroughfare. "Inspector Goodman. JP. What a pleasant surprise!"

  
At the sound of Richard's voice, both men turn and perhaps Richard is imagining things, but he can almost swear that he does see a twinge of relief on JP's face.  



End file.
